Variable speed transmission



Patented Sept. .27,v 1932 LEoN e. cLoHEGY, or WAUWArosA, wrscoNsrn-Assrelvon or 'oNE-'rn'rnn To anotan?v GrBaUMDER, oF MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN, AND ONE-THIRD "ro WALTER 0.1IAYEE,

0F MILWAUKEE, 'WISCONSIN' vAELABLE SPEED V'.mANsMIssIoN v Application led J'u'ne 25,

Y is the provision of a device of the above character which includes novel means for. connecting the input and the output shafts, whereby;f

hydraulic means is used in the connection o the two shafts to provide for simultaneous motion, and wherein the connecting means is permitted to run idle when no movement is re uired of the output shaft. y

other object of the present invention is i931. vserial No. 546399;`

that the major portion of the mechanism is enclosed within a suitable housing 1, having bearings 2 and 2 at each end thereof. EX- --tending into the housing and rotatably mounted in the bearing -2is the inputshaft 3. The inner end of this shaft has a reduced portion 4 arranged withinthe sleeve 5, extending laterally from one side of a rotary cylindrical housing 6. The outer circumferential portion of the housing 6 is closed bymeans of a circular plate .7, the outer faceolf which is formed with a plurality of gear teeth 8.` 'This plate 7 the 'provision of novel means for connecting\is retained in position between the side walls an inputcand output shaft, hydraulically controlled with suitable clutch lmechanism for imparting a driving movement to the output shaft, together with' suitable means opera- A tively connected with the transmission mechposite direction.

A further object vision o f a variable speed transmission in cluding an' input shaft ha'ving a gear mounted thereon, cooperating with a plurality-o/f'idle anism for driving the output shaftin" an oppinions circumferentially arran -ed within a rotary housing, having a circum erential gear on the exterior thereof andan output shafthaving a gear upon the inside of the housing,

meshing with the pinions therein, whereby when noretarding movement is applied to the housing, the housing will rotate around the gear carried by the. output shaft, together with hydraulic means for retarding-the movement of the housing, whereby the movement conveyed to the pinions therein, through the connection of the input shaft, 'will drive the gear on the output shaft.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction the combination and\arrange ment of parts hereinafter moie fully set forth, pointed out in the -claims and shown in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 3 1s a sectional view `on the line 3-3 tothe drawing, it be-notd of Fi 1.

Re emng J of the invention is the prolof the housing 6 by means of bolts 9 which extendtransversely through the walls of the housing and through the plate 7.

Mounted upon the inner end' of the reduced. .port1on4 of the input shaft 3 isa spurLgear 1Q adapted to co-operate with a plurality-of clrcumferentially arrangedvpinions 11 with- 1n the housing 6. These p'inions 11 are supported upon the stub shafts 12, the ends of which are mounted within suitable bearings 1n the side Walls of the housing 6.

the gear 10 rotate in the same general direction.

' Rotatably mounted the bearing 2. is thej It will be noted that the pinions 11 which4 cooperatel with the-gear l() are arranged upon one side ofthe housing and cooperate with al second set of pinions 11" arranged upon the output shaft 3 provided with an inner reduced end 4. Mounted upon the reduQe'd end 4: is a gear -10 having an elongated sleeve f 13 which extends the full length of the reduced portion 4 and is arranged within'the sleeve 14. carried by the opposite wall of the A housing 6 from the sleeve 5. The sleeve 14 is rotatably mounted within a' suitable bearing 15, extending upwardly' from 4the bottom of the "housing 1.

The gear 10- 's rotated in a direction opposite the ear l'through the .engagement thereof wit pinionsll and 11', thus rotating 50 operate with t e gear 19 when it is desired to the output shaft 3 in a direction opposite lals vexterior o -to one end of the shaft 24 is'a pinion 26, mesh- 'the rotation of shaft 3.

Extending transversely of the main' housing 1, isan auxiliary housing. 1 and mounted within suitable bearings 'in -the auxiliary housing 1 is a shaft 24 carrying a spiral 25 which cooperates with the gear teeth 8onthe the cylindrical housing 6. Keyed ing with a pinion 27, with the both inions enclosed within a suitable pump housing 28. The pump housin 28 is provided with an inlet opening 29 am? with an outlet 30 to'which a va housing 31 is a rotary valve 32 controlling the passage of fluid from the outlet 30.v

Attached to the shaft 24 is a brake drum 33 and cooperatin with the drum is a brake band 34 actuate by means of a hand lever 35.'4

It will be apparentfrom the foregoing that when the valve 32 is in its open position,`as shown in Figure 3, theiiuid will pass directly through the housing 28 without'retarding the movement of the pinions 26 and 27 in any waywhatever. This action ermits the housing 6 to rotate simultaneousy with' the shaft 3, ,causing the pinions 11 and 11 to rotate around the gears 10 and10.` However, as

soon as the valve 32 begins toclose to restrict the movement of the Huid around the pinions 26 and 27, the rotation of the housing 6 is retarded, causing the rotation of the pinions 11 and 11 to be conveyed to the clutch mechanism is in engagement, a similar rotative movement will be imparted to the output shaft 3.

Due to the arrangement of the gears 10 and 10 and the pinions 11 and 11', the shafts 3 'and b within the housin land 3 will be rotated in opposite directions when the clutch members 18 are engaged with 'the clutch face 17. However, in order to reverse the direction of rotation of the output shaft 3, a pinion 36 normally meshes with the gear 16 and cooperates with a gear 37 on stub shaft 38. y l

The stub shaft 3 8 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the standards a 1 and the-shaft 38 also carries a ear 39 which is adapted to coreverse the rotation of shaft3. To carry out 'this operation,`tlie clutch members 17 and creased d ue to the fact that the movement of the pinions 11 around the gear 10 will be deve housing 31 is connected. `Within the the gear-10, which in turn will rotate the\ge'ar 16, and if 10 and 10 to be more direct. On the other hand, when the valve 32'is. fully opened, as

shown in Figure 3 the housing 6 will rotate around the gear -10 and not impart any movement to the shaft 3. y

In order. to take care of any leakage through the housing 28 which would impart r tative movement on the part of the housing 6, the brake band 34 can be tightened against the drum 33 to positively retain the housing 6 against movement, thus causing the two shafts 3 and 3 to o crate in unison.

It will also be note that as soon as the brake band 34 is released and the valve 32 is operated to permit 'passage of Huid thru the housing 28, the speed ofthe shaft 3 will be decreased.

Attention ois' directed to the fact that this type of transmission is very simple in construction 'and a variable speed can be -conveyed .to the shaft 3 through the operation of the valve 32 and through the slidable mounting of thesleeve 20 on the shaft 3', the rotation of shaft 3 may be quickly and readily reversed by simply disconnecting the gear `19 `from the gear 16 and connecting this gear 19 up \with gear39. Normally, the gears 37 and 39 are rotating with gear 16.

I claim:

1. A variable speed transmission comprising a stationary casing, input and output shafts extending into the opposite ends of the casing, a circular housing rotatably mounted within the casing having peripheral teeth, the inner end of the in ut shaft rotatablyl extendinginto the rotata le housing Aat t cured to the input shaft, a series of gears rotatably mounted within thehousing meshing with the pinion, av second` series o f cir-` cumferential ars rotatably mounted in the housing and riven from the rst'mentined series of gea-rs rotatably mounted in the housing, an axially disposed gear meshing withv Vthe second series of'rotatable gears, means operatively connecting the last mentioned gear with the output shaft, a transversely e axial center thereof, a pinion se-v extending shaft rotatably carried bythe casing having a -worm meshing with the riplieral teeth of the housing, and means or creating a dragon the last mentioned shaft. 2. A variable speed transmission comprising'a stationary casin having an input and an output shaft .exten ing into the'same from the oppositeends thereof, a rotatable circular housing havin peripheral teeth arranged in thecasing etween the input shaft and the output shaft, the inner end of the input shaft extending into one side ofthe rotatable housing at its axial center, a drive gear secured to the inner end of the input shaft and arranged within said housing, a set of circumferentially disposed ,idle gears 'rotatably carried by the housing and mesh ing with the drive gear, a driven gear rotatably mounted within the axial center of the housing, a second set of circumferentially arranged ears meshing with the driven gear v and the rst set Yof ciroumferentially arranged gears, a clutch for'releasably connecting the output shaft with the driven gear, a transversely extending shaft rotatably carried by the casing having a worm w meshing with the peripheral teeth of the housing,fand means for retarding rotation of the transversely extending shaft including a hydraulic pump on one end of the shaft and a mechanical brake on the other end of the shaft.

In testimony lthat I claim the foregoing I haveA hereunto set my hand.

LEON G. CLOHECY. 

